


kiss me through the phone

by haetnimie



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: AU, Fluff, M/M, Romance, a meanie literally a meanie, and jihoon's here too, lapslock, solo artist!mingyu and manager!wonwoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-09-27 17:42:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20411746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haetnimie/pseuds/haetnimie
Summary: mingyu's a solo artist dating his manager, wonwoo. he wishes it wasn't so secret, though.





	kiss me through the phone

one of mingyu’s favorite things to do is teasing wonwoo. it’s when he playfully gives wonwoo a hard time that he sees the more honest expressions of someone who would otherwise remain nonchalant if mingyu didn’t do anything. it’s an outlet for mingyu’s bursts of unbridled enthusiasm, but he believes that wonwoo handles it well, even if it’s 5 in the morning.

“come on, mingyu, it’s time to wake up.” wonwoo peels away the layers of blankets, revealing the unusually tall body curled up in a way that makes mingyu look smaller. mingyu winces, making a conscious effort not to flinch. “we have to leave to go to the broadcasting station in fifteen minutes.”

“then wake me up in fifteen minutes,” mingyu mutters, rolling to the side with a tiny smile on his face. it’s a little cold without all the blankets now, but he pays no attention to that when wonwoo’s here to distract him.

wonwoo’s sigh almost sends him. he almost blows away his cover of feigned sleepiness with a chuckle — which, okay, he _was _a bit sleepy, but awake enough to execute an innocent prank. it’s amazing just how far he’s willing to take these small acts of playful defiance; some people might say that he’s being too childish. but it’s the wonwoo effect, as mingyu had dubbed it, and he can’t help it at all. he buries his face like a dog searching for its missing toy in the crevices of a sofa.

wonwoo turns the lights on in mingyu’s room, but mingyu keeps his eyes shut; he would’ve been blinded otherwise. wonwoo gives mingyu’s shoulder a shake in another attempt to wake him up, but it ends in exasperation as usual. “don’t mess with me, mingyu,” he says with a hint of annoyance. “wake up and get ready.”

“mm, no.”

“i’m serious.”

“are you?”

“it’s my _job_.”

“i _know_, i know,” mingyu finally gives in and turns his head so that he can look at wonwoo and his good-looking face. he never gets tired of waking up to him in the morning. he’s glad that wonwoo’s the first thing he sees everyday. “but can you ditch mister jeon wonwoo the manager for a second?”

wonwoo doesn’t give anything away with his unchanging look, but he knows where mingyu’s heading. it’s been like this for a while. “what do you want me to do?”

“how would you wake up your boyfriend?”

“like how i’m doing right now.”

mingyu frowns. “i told you to ditch the manager act.”

“i _did_.” wonwoo crosses his arms. “and i’d wake up my boyfriend the same way. i’d tell him to get up because he has somewhere to go. should there be another way?”

“hmph. well…” mingyu sits up, bedhead making him look like that one scene in the lion king where samba had a mane of leaves during ‘i just can’t wait to be king’. “i was expecting something, i don’t know…something _cheesier_.”

wonwoo blinks for a second, looking at mingyu’s ridiculously fluffy hair and a hint of his true motives in his twinkling eyes. it’s a look that mingyu _knows _is cute and effective, and he uses it to his advantage in stand-offs such as these all the time. it just takes a little bit of patience.

it takes a full minute for wonwoo to finally relent; it’s a victory for mingyu knowing that wonwoo’s given up being stiff in this moment. wonwoo leans in close, brushing away strands of mingyu’s hair from his face so that they can clearly see each other face-to-face. a close proximity to jeon wonwoo makes mingyu’s heart race, an overflowing giddiness like that of a dog wagging its tail in excitement over a treat. except mingyu’s the dog and wonwoo’s the treat and mingyu doesn’t have a tail.

“mingyu.” wonwoo’s voice is so gentle that it makes mingyu melt right in that spot. his glare is intimidating, but also kind of hot. mingyu could find no fault in the thrilling way that wonwoo was looking at _him_. what he doesn’t expect is wonwoo to pinch his cheeks right after, the smallest of grins appearing on his face despite trying his best to remain as cool as possible. “wake up.”

“ow ow ow ow — yes, _yes_, i’m awake now.” wonwoo lets go of his cheeks and mingyu huffs, although he can’t be mad. “hmph, getting me back like that…that’s cheating.”

“so you _were _messing with me earlier.” wonwoo straightens out his back, rather pleased with getting a part of his job done. “you know, we lost a good five minutes because you wouldn’t get up.”

“you know what you could do if you don’t want me to take forever when waking up?” wonwoo perks up at the sound of mingyu’s suggestion, and mingyu smiles, grabbing a hold of wonwoo’s hand and squeezing it tight. “it’s if you look at me like you did just then and wake me up like i’m your boyfriend.”

“…idiot, you _are _my boyfriend.”

“exactly.”

there’s a moment of silence as mingyu continues to hold onto wonwoo’s hand, a quiet relay of their requited feelings in the warmth that mingyu receives in his chest. he stands up and pulls wonwoo close in one motion, resting his head on wonwoo’s shoulder, the perfect shape and the perfect height for someone like him. mingyu has this whole apartment to himself, but when he’s entangled with wonwoo, he really, _really _feels like home.

“i don’t forget that, you know. that i’m dating you,” wonwoo finally says, stroking mingyu’s head in a way that makes mingyu so, so happy. it really does. “but i’m your manager, too. i also have to do my job.”

“i know,” mingyu mumbles, squeezing wonwoo’s hand tighter. it’s reassurance that he’s there, that wonwoo’s really his. “but sometimes jobs are a little dumb.”

“…alright, how about we make a deal?”

“what kind?”

“as long as you wake up on time, i’ll wake you up like i did today.”

“promise?”

“of course. i promise.”

even with compromises, wonwoo finds a way to please mingyu’s whims. actions speak louder than words; that’s how mingyu plans to show off how much he appreciates wonwoo. mingyu’s smile widens, and he lets go of wonwoo’s hand in favor of wrapping his arms around him. he’s just a tad too excited when he does this, and he almost makes wonwoo fall over backwards. he cares about wonwoo. he really does. the feeling practically overflows in his heart, but he doesn’t stop it. he embraces it. it’s a part of what powers him as a person.

he likes having his boyfriend as his manager. he likes wonwoo. it’s as simple as that. it’s a shame that it needs to be kept as a secret between just the two of them, or he’d be shouting wonwoo’s name from the rooftop to let everyone know that his heart belongs to him as the most over-the-top act of teasing him.

* * *

as a solo artist, mingyu is the main focus. everyone’s eyes are on him. he’s always aware of the spotlight that’s trained on him.

but perfection in the practice room isn’t the same as perfection on stage. there’s always something that could topple this painstakingly-built jenga tower. and while there’s no helping technical difficulties or wardrobe mishaps, the way that he presents himself on stage is something he can be diligent about. he looks at his execution of the choreography, the way he sounds, the overall presence he has. whether or not he’s able to really shine and perform something amazing for his fans is entirely up to him.

it’s why wonwoo records mingyu’s performances on his phone during music shows. when he gets to his waiting room, mingyu watches each video with unparalleled intent, sharp eyes focused on each shot and each angle. when he finishes, he sinks into the couch with a huff, wiping the sweat off of his forehead.

“what’s wrong?” wonwoo asks, looking at his phone with a hint of confusion on his face. “i think you did pretty well. you’ve gotten everything you possibly could to the highest standard.”

“maybe, but…i could have put more energy into it.” mingyu scratches his head, his entire body pretty much asleep from the amount of performing he’s done today. he feels slightly downtrodden, though he knows it can’t be helped now. airing out his grievances is a step towards letting it go. “i mean, my fans, they’ve been up for a long time too when i asked them. practically the same time as me. it doesn’t feel right not to be at my best.”

“hey now.” wonwoo sits down next to mingyu, giving him a pat on the shoulder. “you may feel like you weren’t at your best but you did your best anyway. that’s good, too. i’ve learned that fans want to do the same when they see you do your best.”

mingyu’s puppy eyes light up. “really?”

wonwoo nods. “really. so just like how you don’t want your fans to beat themselves up over what they think isn’t their best, don’t beat yourself up too.”

“seriously…since when did you become all well-versed with fans?”

“i’m a fan of yours, too.”

wonwoo’s response makes mingyu feel a sudden surge of happiness, rejuvenated and refreshed. one might say he’s too easy to please, too easily moved — and perhaps that’s the case, but he prefers to look at it as a type of optimism. it’s a reminder to himself that he should look forward to move forward.

“that’s…agh, wonwoo!” mingyu covers his face with his hands, taking a peak to see wonwoo’s unwavering presence. “you can’t just…anyway, is there anything else after this show?”

“just a fansign. it’s the last one. then it’s the end of promotions.”

“the last one…” mingyu shakes his head. “this promotion went by so fast! it’s really been two weeks, huh?”

“you say that for _every _promotion period.”

“but it’s true! it feels like i did everything and nothing at the same time…wah, seriously. it’s already over.”

mingyu finally moves his hands away and stares at wonwoo for a bit. there’s a feeling of longing in him, his heart sighing in some kind of relief that he doesn’t have to go anywhere or do anything after this. it could be a time period of a days or months. either way, there’s nothing to get in the way. there’s nothing in the way of him and wonwoo, literally.

most of the staff is gone because it’s lunch time. mingyu’s stomach growls, but he doesn’t care about it in that moment. all he can really focus on is looking right at wonwoo and taking in just how wonderfully lucky he feels.

his waiting room is completely empty. it’s perfect timing.

he leans in and gives wonwoo a kiss on the lips, letting himself selfishly linger for a while. mingyu wants to relish in this moment; mingyu wants wonwoo to relish in this moment. it might sound naive, but each kiss is precious, a reminder of how he feels. he wants to convey just how much mingyu loves him. it’s old clichés and what not, but let him. he likes clichés.

when he pulls away, mingyu smiles. it’s so satisfying seeing wonwoo’s stupefied face, but mingyu _knows _that he liked it. they’ve snuck kisses for months now. wonwoo’s returned and given his own share.

it feels good to love in mingyu’s own type of way. it feels just as good to be loved in wonwoo’s own type of way.

“let’s do something tomorrow to celebrate another successful promotion,” mingyu says in a voice a little too loud as a result of his excitement.

“yeah. how about we go to your favorite restaurant? my treat.”

“hey, shouldn’t i be treating you?”

“does it matter? you’re going to eat the same thing you always get when we go together anyway.”

“come on, let me do it.” mingyu pouts. “a treat for my manager.”

“…fine.”

a playful push-and-pull. mingyu’s unstoppable now. before wonwoo says anything else or protests against their agreement, he leans in for another kiss.

* * *

mingyu’s clad in generic sweats, a big hoodie, and a baseball hat when they go to the restaurant. he wishes he could dress up nicely, but this is one of wonwoo’s requests; “i don’t want you to get in trouble,” he’d said the first time they went out together, throwing the hoodie he had on onto mingyu. it’s a silly tradition for mingyu to wear hoodies now, but wonwoo plays along with it.

his favorite restaurant is this scenic italian place near the han river. it overlooks the waters, granting patrons with the most beautiful of views when the sun dips in the horizon and turns the scenery with orange and yellow. its ambient aesthetic might seem like a derailing of mingyu’s tastes, but this place has got some of the _best _pizza ever. and he eats a lot of it.

after they eat a good pepperoni pizza (in which mingyu steals bites of wonwoo’s slices because food tastes better when it isn’t yours), they’re feeling awfully bloated. so much pizza in such little time. but not _too _much as to not make room for dessert, which is always ends up being another mistake on both of their parts. tonight, they ordered a giant slice of tiramisu. they eat it ’til the very last crumb. and then they go into the deepest of food comas.

but that’s when the restaurant’s location comes into play. to combat their lethargy and dense stomachs, wonwoo and mingyu usually go around the han river to walk off their dinner. that’s when the streetlights flicker on the the stars peek their heads through the night sky, promising mingyu’s image some refuge in the dark shadows.

mingyu tries to act as normal as possible, but he likes to stick close to wonwoo during these walks. like, really close because he feels something when he’s close to him. it’s like the static that builds up on a balloon after rubbing it on your head and watching it play with your hair.

mingyu likes these dinners and likes these walks and likes practically leaning on wonwoo as they gaze at the river but he wonders just how long he can keep this a secret. it doesn’t feel fair to wonwoo. he wants to be honest. it’s a selfish request, but he feels a strong desire to come clean. he thinks he’ll regret being veiled in secrecy instead of transparency.

he might be a little impulsive. he might not have thought this through. who knows what could possibly happen. however, you can deal with the consequences; you can’t deal with regret. it’s the lesser of two evils.

it’s like that one quote from hercules — ‘people always to do crazy things when they’re in love’. maybe mingyu’s crazy in love, but he’d rather not keep wonwoo a secret anymore. wonwoo makes mingyu better himself. it could be a hopeful thing. a step in a new direction. he’s willing to pave that way.

he knows what he wants to say. and of course he knows how to say it.

* * *

“…so yeah, i want something like that.”

“hm.” jihoon looks down at the notes he’d scribbled down while mingyu was talking, though his face doesn’t say anything. it’s as neutral as ever, silently taking in each word. “this’ll be a different sound from your usual.”

“that’s fine!” mingyu’s a little too enthusiastic to be doing this. “i’m ready for that. i _want _it to be different. it want it to show a different side of me.”

“you know, it might just be me, but…” jihoon twirls his chair to face his computer, clicking around and opening up new windows of different programs. “you’re really obvious about it.”

“obvious about…?”

“you and wonwoo.” mingyu’s heart almost stops right there, but jihoon continues. “come on, i have eyes. and the words you want to put in this song are pretty loud and clear.”

“so…?” mingyu leans forward in suspense.

jihoon turns to face him again. and he looks…trustworthy. he looks like he has no ill intentions; with the glint in his eyes, it’s like he’s reassuring that he has no ill intentions. it makes mingyu feel at ease almost immediately even if the producer had seen right through him. no — right now, jihoon isn’t saying this not as his producer, but as a friend. and he appreciates the feeling of that.

“it’s okay,” jihoon finally says. “i’ll help you write this.”

* * *

mingyu paces back and forth inside jihoon’s studio after the producer had stepped out to get some snacks from the convenience store. he feels as if he’s being rather impatient, but it’s been days of crashing in jihoon’s place so that he could go to the studio with him. he hasn’t seen wonwoo as a result. those days feel like dog years and that he’s been longing and waiting for a really long time.

“hello?”

“wonwoo!” mingyu practically screams as he sees wonwoo’s face on the screen; he hopes the other didn’t have him on speaker. “wonwoo, i’ve missed you! thank god you’re not pausing the screen — hey.”

“sorry, i was doing something before you called.” there’s a few moments of silence from wonwoo’s end before he hears the crinkle of wonwoo’s favorite bag of chips and the pop it makes when he opens it. wonwoo comes back on screen, and mingyu gives him a signature pout. “what’s up?”

“you were getting _chips_?”

“a snack.”

“okay…but are you still eating properly?”

“of course. i’m well aware of my eating habits now thanks to you. it’s a good thing.”

“hey…” mingyu can’t help but smile. he’s thankful for the improvement in technology and the invention of facetime. seeing wonwoo’s face is the ultimate energy drink (jihoon let him try one the other day; he prefers wonwoo). “i’m at jihoon-hyung’s studio right now. it’s going good. the song’s great! we’re recording a second draft after he comes back.”

“so he’s as meticulous as ever.” wonwoo takes a moment to chew on a few chips. he’s wearing his glasses today; mingyu think it really suits him. he tried them on once…and he can’t believe wonwoo’s vision was _that _bad. “is that it?”

“what?”

“well, you called me…are you going to have me listen to the song?”

“no, i — it’s a surprise until it’s done!” mingyu’s flustered for a moment, and then he realizes what this situation could look like — asking for his opinion. of course he wants to know it, of course he wants to know if wonwoo likes it, but…not right now. not yet! its final version is the one he wants to present to both wonwoo and the world.

but right…why _did _he call wonwoo? he knows the reason, and maybe it’s a little embarrassing, but… “i wanted to hear your voice,” he admits. “and see your face. it might sound dramatic since it’s only been a few days, but it’s true.”

“…oh.” there’s a loud shuffling sound from wonwoo that almost scares the crap out of wonwoo. he disappears in and out of the camera’s view, from the orange jacket he was wearing to the ceiling of his apartment. wonwoo’s phone is finally at peace when its stabilized and showing all of wonwoo’s torso, an angle that can only mean he’s propped it up against something. “here. is that better?”

the small gesture makes mingyu’s heart swell tenfold. he finds it really cheesy, but he really likes it, too. “yeah, that’s better.”

but somehow, there’s a part of him that isn’t satisfied, unsubdued by his cheerfulness of wonwoo’s appearance. there’s a part of him that’s asking for something else, asking for something more. he thinks the words over and over again, he thinks it’s probably the sappiest thing he could say…but only _he _could say it. and soulja boy. but mostly mingyu, completely swept away in a moment shared with someone he loves.

“hey, wonwoo, can you…can we…kiss? through the phone?”

“…huh?”

“kiss me through the phone.” and then mingyu also realizes that that’s still extremely vague. he thinks for a second before he finally holds up two fingers, kissing them and pressing them over his camera for a moment. his face is probably bright red because he feels extreme heat coming off of it, but the sentiment is what matters. “like that.”

wonwoo blinks for a second, and was mingyu’s phone playing tricks with him or did wonwoo’s face also turn a slight red? wonwoo also kisses his fingers and taps the screen, pulling away a lot quicker and scratching the back of his head a lot later. “there.”

“hehe, thank you, wonwoo. i can power through the rest of this day now!” and he can. he really can, and he _will_. he’ll treasure that moment forever. he would’ve taken a screenshot, but a black screen isn’t all that interesting.

“you better.”

and that ends their call. just in time for jihoon to walk in with bags of snacks, trying hard not to show anything on his face. nothing at all. nothing that would hint to the fact that mingyu’s voice was so loud that jihoon could hear it through the door and that he’d heard what mingyu had asked. but he won’t say anything about it.

* * *

just as he promised, mingyu shows wonwoo the song in its finished state. he handed his phone over nervously, and wonwoo listens.

and he listens, and he listens, and he listens. he listens intently to everything. mingyu watches, eager to hear what he has to say, fretting over whether or not he’d like it.

when it finishes, wonwoo takes off the earbuds, eyes asking mingyu a million and a half questions. he’s just staring without saying a word, trying hard to figure out which one of his inquiries should be the first to be asked. finally, wonwoo says, “are you sure about this?”

“absolutely. i want to sing this song.”

wonwoo blinks, incredulous, but mingyu doesn’t budge on his statement. when wonwoo finally comes to terms with it, he nods, reaching out his hand to hold onto mingyu’s. “i like the song. i’ll cheer you on no matter what.”

* * *

when mingyu wins first place, streamers and confetti shower him on stage. the mcs give him a bouquet of flowers and his trophy, and he tries to hold onto his reward _tightly _so that he doesn’t let go and break it. he adjusts his mic in this blur of celebration, smiling so much at his fans’ cheers that his cheeks almost hurt.

“everyone, thank you! thank you for supporting me and ‘adore u’ and giving us our first win. thank you to the ceo, to the staff, too jihoon-hyung who helped me produced it!”

mingyu looks to the side of the stage, looks directly at wonwoo who’s clapping for him in the shadows. he looks at him with a nod, mouths words of reassurance towards him, and then scurries over to him just as the music starts playing. he doesn’t plan on singing an encore just yet, though. not until this is done.

he pulls wonwoo out and into the blinding lights of the stage; he’s quite literally and metaphorically pulling him out of the shadows. he’s showing him off to everyone, and while they’ve talked about this moment throughout the months of preparation for this song, wonwoo still stands awkwardly, unsure of how he should look.

but mingyu doesn’t mind. he finds it endearing that wonwoo’s still trying to clap along to the song while he wants for mingyu.

mingyu finally wraps his arm around wonwoo’s shoulders and pulls him closer, almost knocking the both of them over by just how much force he used. he practically shoves the flowers into wonwoo’s hands so that he doesn’t have to keep clapping off beat, petals clinging onto him just as mingyu is now.

a part of his strong grip on wonwoo’s a way for mingyu to balance himself, to be honest; it’s now or never. it’s time to say those words.

“and thanks to my manager!” he points to wonwoo, and the crowd cheers. “this song’s about him. he’s my manager, but we’re also dating. we have good feelings for each other, so please support both of us!”

and just like that, the world knows. maybe he did well on his self-made promise about shouting out his name from the rooftops. except this time, it’s the stage. it’s the stage he’s always known, but he’s lucky to finally have wonwoo tag along.

**Author's Note:**

> haha well.....what do we have here.  
i got the song stuck in my head and also smth a little light-hearted so i had to write a whole thing for it. i guess that's how it's got to be. :]
> 
> you can tell where my brain just farted OTL but,, hope it's still good!! or okay!! either one!!  
and hopefully? it makes sense? fjvbndfvmdfv


End file.
